Savory & Supernatural: A Movie Magic Romance

by Karen Healey, Kate Healey

How can a food witch tell a move star he's haunted - when he doesn't believe in magic?Kingston Williams went to an exclusive drama school in London and has leading-man looks and charm. But while the work's been steady, he's still desperate for the perfect breakout, award-bait role to sink his teeth into. In the meantime, he's determined to make the most of his time on location in New Zealand for a major film franchise. But ever since he picked up a shiny, washed-up trinket in a West Coast river, things have been getting . . . spooky. It's a terrible distraction from his developing crush on the caterer.

Amalia de Boer was already the black sheep of her family, having developed cooking witchery instead of plant magic. Then she started seeing dead people. After her career as a chef hits a snag, she's finally back on her feet - running a food truck at a small location shoot that might just turn into bigger catering jobs. But, of course, nothing in her life ever goes that smoothly. Actor Kingston Williams is the hottest man she's ever seen. He's also haunted by an angry ghost, something he'd never believe if she told him.

But she can't seem to avoid this incorrigible flirt . . .

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

Karen Healey lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she jars stubborn scenes loose by wandering along the river.

She writes speculative fiction and magical romance for young adults and adults, including the award winning When We Wake duology and Guardian of the Dead. Her recent books include Bespoke & Bespelled and (as Kate Healey) the Olympus Inc. series.

Reviews

[Starfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another really enjoyable book in Ms Healey's Movie Magic Romance, and as with Book 1, there was a lot I enjoyed about it - including the New Zealand setting, the casual diversity rep, and the competent FMC.

While I liked both main characters, I didn't enjoy the way Kingston was written as much as I enjoyed Rider in Book 1, although I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's that Kingston's "quirkiness" felt a little too accepted in a way that it wouldn't have been if he'd been female - and I also felt like he was AWFULLY quick to turn on Amalia and assume she'd been leading him on. And yes, there are reasons for that, but it came down to the 'major communication breakdown that a five-minute honest conversation would have fixed' trope that always makes me twitch. So the fact that it was still a solid four-star read from me despite the trope says something about how much I enjoyed it otherwise.

And I'm sad that this is the last Movie Magic book Ms Healey has written, but I believe she's planning more, so I'll jump on any future ones when she releases them. Meanwhile, I know she also has a Greek-mythology-inspired romance series under her Kate Healey name, so I might try that one next.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It was a good palette cleanser kind of read and it was a solid read. I don’t think it was anything super special though, and I probably won’t remember much of it tomorrow.

I liked the characters, and I liked the little bit of romance. I also liked that we saw some of the quirks of the characters and how it was magic in some cases. I wish there had been more magic overall because it felt like a contemporary book but oh one of the characters has magic. The ghost element was interesting and probably one of the strongest parts of the book.

I received an eArC via NetGalley to read and review.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read! Cute & dynamic characters, enjoyable worldbuilding (just the right amount for a light read), definitely for the food lovers, you'll get hungry hearing the descriptions of what she's cooking...

The main conflict of the novel has enough suspense to keep the book interesting, but not too much to detract from the fact that it's a cozy story with a happy ending.

Would recommend!